Support for suspended files

ABSTRACT

A support frame assembly for suspended files which is comprised of a minimal number of components and may be readily assembled by the user without the need of special tools.

United States Patent Carter et al.

[451 Mar. 28, 1972 SUPPORT FOR SUSPENDED FILES Rex D. Carter, Clovis,Calif.; Earl W. l-loflsis, Holland, Ohio Assignee: Sheller-GloheCorporation, Toledo, Ohio Filed: July 27, 1970 Y App1.No.: 58,331

inventors:

U.S. CL... 211/177 Int. Cl. 471 5/10 Field of Search ..211/177, 162, 45,46

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Patterson ..2 1 l/ 1 62 2,871,8612/1959 Posner ..211/162 2,336,802 12/1943 Posner ..211/162 2,810,38810/1957 Conley ....211/177 X 3,098,488 7/1963 Schnelle ..21 1/46 XPrimary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, Jr. Attorney-Wilson & Fraser [57]ABSTRACT A support frame assembly for suspended files which is comprisedof a minimal number of components and may be readily assembled by theuser without the need of special tools.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTED MR 2 8 I972 SHEET 1 OF 2 wMa i/mugATTORNFYS PATENTEDMAmmn 3,651,949

I SHEET 2 [IF 2 ATTORNEYS SUPPORT FOR SUSPENDED FILES BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to filingdevices and particularly to a support frame for suspended filescontaining sheets of papers at least a portion of which are removableand interchangeable, adapted to be preserved in file drawers or thelike, permitting inspection of sheets of paper without withdrawing themfrom the containing receptacle.

2. Description of the Prior Art One typical method of storing papers forreference utilizes a scheme of containing the papers in file folderswhich are suspended vertically. The upper edges of the folders havestrengthening or stiffening means which typically project laterally ateach end and are supported on horizontally extending support rails. Whenthe file folders are stored in drawers of a filing cabinet, for example,the rails are conventionally part of a frame including vertical postswhich rest on the bottom of the drawer and are interconnected by crossbars. Such frame assemblies may be inserted readily into existing plaindrawers which may thus be converted to contain suspended filing systems.The present invention is concerned with a supporting frame of the abovetype.

Such frame assemblies can be arranged so that they will be easilyassembled by the user without special tools from a small number ofcomponents which may be packed into small space for storage andshipping.

The frame assemblies readily adapt themselves to a great variety ofdrawer types and are of such a nature that the user can assemble theframe with associated rails at desired spacings.

Constructions, of the prior art which are directed toward similarobjectives as the present invention are illustrated and described in US.Pat. No. 3,295,697, entitled LOCK LEVER SUSPENSION FILE SUPPORT, E. D.Patterson. The constructions disclosed therein are considerably morecomplex than the instant structure and are therefore more costly tomanufacture and cumbersome to utilize.

SUMMARY The object and advantages of the present invention may typicallybe achieved by a support frame assembly having a pair of verticallyextending corner posts interconnected by a transverse cross bar at eachend of the support frame and rails between the ends of the frame, meansfor connecting the rail, cross bar, and corner post at each corner ofthe frame, said means comprising an integral portion of thecross barconsisting of a horizontally extending portion and terminal sectionhaving a rail engaging portion; an integral, upper terminal portion onthe corner post having a rail engaging portion cooperating with the railengaging portion of the terminal section of the cross bar; linkage meansinterconnecting the terminal sections of the cross bar and the cornerpost; and means disposed between the undersurface of the cross bar andthe uppersurface of the terminal portion of the corner post foreffecting relative movement of the rail engaging portion of the crossbar and the rail engaging portion of the corner post to snugly engage aportion of the associated rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of theinvention will become readily apparent to one skilled in the art fromreading the following detailed description of the invention, whenconsidered in the light of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a support frame for suspended filesincorporating the features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of one corner of thesupport frame illustrated in FIG. 1, showing the terminal portions ofthe cross bar and the corner post separated to accommodate reception ofan associated rail member;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the apparatusillustrated in FIG. 2 subsequent to the movement of the locking arm intoa locked position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top view of a modified form of the structureillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4 preparatory to receiving'anassociated rail member;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIG 5 andFIG. 7 is an elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIGS. 5and 6 subsequent to the movement of the locking arm to a lockedposition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to'F IGS. I, 2, 3,and 4, there is illustrated a support frame structure useful forsupporting suspended files wherein there are typically provided two endframe members, spaced apart, one adopted to fit in the front of a drawerand the other in the back 'portion of the drawer. These members comprisegenerally vertically'extending arms connected at the bottom by ahorizontally extending section which is adapted to rest on the bottom ofthe drawer, and having at the upper end a corner post including anoutwardly extending rail engaging portion. The upper ends or cornerposts of these arms are connected by a cross bar extending therebetweenand to each of the outwardly extending portions. The cross barterminates in rail engaging portions. The ends of the rail members,received by the rail engaging'portions of the corner posts and crossbars, are secured thereby by the action of a locking'arm.

More specifically, the support frame of the invention comprises twohorizontally extending rail members 10, and at each end, a framecomprising a cross bar 12 and two vertically extending corner posts 14,the lower ends of which are interconnected by a bottom horizontallyextending bar 16. Typically, excellent results have been found to occurwhen the aforementioned elements are fabricated from strip metal ofuniform section with smooth edges throughout. The metal material usedfor fabricating the end frames should preferably have spring qualities,as will become manifest in the following 7 description.

Each of the corner posts 14 has the terminal upper ends thereof formedwith a horizontally extending section 18 and a substantially U-shapedrail engaging terminal portion 20. The cross bars 12 terminate in aninverted substantially U-shaped rail engaging terminal section 22. Theterminal portion 20 of the comer post 14 and the terminal portion 22 ofthe cross bar 12 are in suitable superposed cooperating relation toadequately engage the rail member 10 as will be described in greaterdetail hereinafter.

The cross bar 12 and the horizontally extending section 18 of the cornerposts 14 are interconnected'by a pivot fastener 24, for example, havingan upper head 26 and a lower head 28. A locking arm 30 is interdigitatedbetween the lower surface of the cross bar 12 and the upper surface ofthe horizontally extending section 18 of the corner post 14. It will beobvious that suitable apertures are formed in the cross bar, thehorizontally extending section 18 of the corner post, and the lockingarm 30 to suitably receive the fastener 24 prior to the placement of theheads 26 and 28.

The locking arm 30 is provided with a projection 32 extending upwardlyfrom the uppersurface thereof, and a projection 34 depending downwardlyfrom the lower surface thereof. The lower surface of the cross bar 12 isprovided with a recess or hole 36 adapted to receive the projection 32,while the upper surfaces of the horizontally extending section 18 of thecorner post 14 is provided with a recess or hole 38 adapted to receivethe projection 34.

It will be noted that when the locking arm 30 is in the positionillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the projections 32 and 34 areeffective to spring apart the rail engaging sections 20 and 22 of thecomer post 14 and the cross bar 12, respectively, to enable the railmember 10 to be readily received therebetween. The rail member 10 isinserted between the rail engaging sections 20 and 22, and thence thelocking arm 30 is and the horizontally extending section 18. in theabove position, the'projections 32 and 34 align with and seat withintheir respective recesses or holes 36 and 38, which permit the railengaging sections 20 and 22 to snap toward each other to a closedposition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to thereby firmly engage the railmember in a secure, locked position.

Manifestly, it will be appreciated that to unlock the assembly, thelocking arm 30 is manually swung to the position illustrated in FIGS. 1,2, and 3, whereupon the rail engaging sections and 22 are sprung to anopen position, permitting withdrawal of the associated rail member 10.

While the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and4 incorporate a pair of cooperating projections 32 and 34 on the lockingarm 30, it will be appreciated by one skilledin the art that a singleprojection could be utilized to cam or spring the rail engaging sections20 and 22 apart to receive the associated rail member 10.

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate a modified version of the structureillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, wherein there is an assemblyincluding a corner post 1 14 formed with a horizontally extendingsection 118 which terminates in a downwardly depending rail engagingportion 120. The associated cross bar 112 terminates in an upstandingrail engaging portion 122. The terminal rail engaging portion 120 of thecorner post 114 and the terminal rail engaging portion 122 of the crossbar 1 12 are in suitable superposed cooperating relation to adequatelyengage the associated rail member 110, as will be explained in greaterdetail hereinafter.

The cross bar 112 and the horizontally extending section 118 of thecorner post 114 are interconnected by a rivet type fastener 124, forexample, having an-upper head 126 and a lower head 128. A locking arm130 is interdigitated between the lower surface of the cross bar 112 andthe upper surface of the horizontally extending portion 118 of thecorner post 114. Obviously, suitable apertures are formed in the crossbar 112, the horizontally extending section 118 of the corner post 114,and the locking arm 130 to suitably receive the shank portion of thefastener 124 prior to the placement of the heads 126 or 128.

The locking arm 130 is provided with a pair of cooperating cam surfaces132 and 134 struck from the upper and lower surfaces of the locking arm130, respectively. Accordingly, when the locking arm 130 is in theposition illustrated in F168. 5 and 6, the cam surfaces 132 and 134 areineffective and thereby allow the terminal portion 122 of the cross bar112 and the terminal portion 120 of the horizontally extending portion118 of the comer post 114 to remain in their normal condition whereinthe rail engaging portions are able to readily receive the rail member110. While it has been found desirable to form the end frames from flatstrip metal stock of uniform section with smooth edges throughout, therail members 110 are preferably formed of a thinner material having agenerally C-shaped cross sectional configuration. Further, as

will be manifest, the oppositely extending terminal portions tively,such that as the locking arm is swung to the position illustrated in H0.7, the camming surfaces 132 and 134 act to cam the rail engagingportions 20 and 122 away from one another and into firm frictionalengagement with the interior channels formed by the rail member 110. Asthe locking arm 130 approaches alignment with the cross bar 112 and thehorizontally extending section 118, the entire camming surfaces 132 and134 are positioned over the planar surfaces with which they arecooperating and, in effect, lock the structure in an assembled form.

While the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 illustrate a pairof camming surfaces 132 and 134, it will be appreciated that a singlecamming surface could be utilized to effect the desired separation ofthe terminal rail engaging portions 120 and 122 to effect the desiredlocking relation.

Further, it should be pointed out that in certain embodiments it may bedesirable to construct the locking arm 130 to have a length from theshank of the fastener 124 slightly greater than the distance of theouter surface of the rail engaging elements 120 and 122 from the shankportion of the fastener 124 such that in a fully locked position, theoutermost end of the locking arm 130 is in contact with the innersurface of the rail member 110 to provide additional frictionalengagement therebetween.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we haveexplained the principle and mode of operation of our invention and haveillustrated and described what we now consider to represent its bestembodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated anddescribed without departing from its spirit or scope.

Having described the embodiments of the invention we claim:

1. A support frame assembly having a pair of vertically extending cornerposts interconnected by a transverse cross bar at each end of thesupport frame and rails extending between the ends of the frames, meansfor connecting the rail, cross bar, and corner post at each corner ofthe frame, said means comprising:

an integral terminal portion of the cross bar consisting of ahorizontally extending portion and terminal section having a railengaging portion;

an integral upper terminal portion of the corner post having a railengaging portion cooperating with the rail engaging portion of theterminal section of the cross bar;

means disposed between the facing surfaces of the cross bar and thecomer post for effecting relative movement of the rail engaging portionof the cross bar and the rail engaging portion of the corner post tosnugly engage a portion of the associated rail; and

linkage means interconnecting said means and the terminal portions ofthe cross bar and the corner post to permit relative movement betweensaid means and the cross bar and the corner post.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said means includes apivotally mounted arm.

120 and .122 engage within the channels formed on the upper and lowerinner surfaces of the rail member 1 10.

When the associated rail member 110 is to be assembled or interconnectedwith the end frame structure described above, the rail member 110 ismoved into position such that the downwardly depending rail engagingportion 120 of the corner post 114, and the upwardly extending terminalrail engaging portion 122 of the cross bar 112 are received within theinterior of the channel formed by the cross sectional configuration ofthe rail member 110. Once the end of the rail member 110 is thusassembled or positioned, a locking arm 130 is pivoted or swung to theposition illustrated in FIG' 7. It will be noted upon examination ofFIGS. 5, 6, and 7 that the upper and lower surfaces of the locking arm130 are provided with an inclined plane camming surface 132 and 134,respec- 3. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein said pivotallymounted arm contains at least one camming surface.

4 The invention defined in claim 2 wherein said pivotally mounted armcontains a first camming surface projecting upwardly from said arm and asecond camming surface depending downwardly from said arm.

5. The invention defined in claim 3 including a cavity formed on theunder surface of the cross bar for reception of said camming surfacewhen said arm is general alignment with 1 the cross bar.

6. The invention defined in claim 4 wherein the cross bar and the cornerpost are provided with recesses for receiving respective ones of saidcamming surfaces when said arm is in general alignment with the crossbar.

1. A support frame assembly having a pair of vertically extending cornerposts interconnected by a transverse cross bar at each end of thesupport frame and rails extending between the ends of the frames, meansfor connecting the rail, cross bar, and corner post at each corner ofthe frame, said means comprising: an integral terminal portion of thecross bar consisting of a horizontally extending portion and terminalsection having a rail engaging portion; an integral upper terminalportion of the corner post having a rail engaging portion cooperatingwith the rail engaging portion of the terminal section of the cross bar;means disposed between the facing surfaces of the cross bar and thecorner post for effecting relative movement of the rail engaging portionof the cross bar and the rail engaging portion of the corner post tosnugly engage a portion of the associated rail; and linkage meansinterconnecting said means and the terminal portions of the cross barand the corner post to permit relative movement between said means andthe cross bar and the corner post.
 2. The invention defined in claim 1wherein said means includes a pivotally mounted arm.
 3. The inventiondefined in claim 2 wherein said pivotally mounted arm contains at leastone camming surface.
 4. ThE invention defined in claim 2 wherein saidpivotally mounted arm contains a first camming surface projectingupwardly from said arm and a second camming surface depending downwardlyfrom said arm.
 5. The invention defined in claim 3 including a cavityformed on the under surface of the cross bar for reception of saidcamming surface when said arm is general alignment with the cross bar.6. The invention defined in claim 4 wherein the cross bar and the cornerpost are provided with recesses for receiving respective ones of saidcamming surfaces when said arm is in general alignment with the crossbar.